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There are many strong and energy-filled conservatives and Republicans in Hawaii. Thank you. The Hawaii Republican Party can be better.

Writing to conservatives & Republicans, mostly in Hawaii, I email rather than blog because this is a (quasi) private discussion. These reports chronicle HRP’s story with enormous amounts data and solutions. My perspective is that of conservative, Republican, former State Party Chairman & RNC member. I am not here writing for any of my current conservative organizations, nationally or in Hawaii. These reports augment what you should hear from HRP, or what you need to research. We won’t always agree but we should be informed. Hawaii conservatives should know they are not alone. Please forward to conservatives or ask to be removed.

To our committed contributors: Thank you. We collaborated because we know conservatism solves Hawaii’s many problems. Your comments, responses, input, and assistance makes “The Lee Report” what it is – a voice of conservatives wanting a better Hawaii Republican Party, and a better Hawaii.

With nearly seven years of at least monthly reports focusing on HRP, it is time to move on. Our Hawaii Republican Assembly (HIRA) keeps us current and holds liberals – Republican and Democrat – accountable. In the future, we’ll cover point topics as a HIRA guest writer. www.HawaiiRepublicanAssembly.com and Facebook @HIRA_808.Thank you. Aloha.

HRP failed again in 2016 and has no plan for 2018. HRP is unable to challenge Democrats until Republicans first fix their house. We need a conservative, competent, organized, manned, and funded HRP with committed leaders.

-HRP FECwww.fec.gov HRP end of April is RED. Receipts 9,527 + 0 RNC bailout + 0 state transfer. FEC Sustaining Donors: 0 Exec Cmte (no Rohlfing, Hellreich, Ward, Ostrov, Tupola, nor anyone), 0 district chair, only 3 members! When leaders don’t buy in, don’t expect others to do so.Disbursements $16,840 is ALL admin overhead & 0 for elections. CoH down from 58.8k to 51.5 means that CoH for operations = 16k with 35.4k in building account. They say CSC has 13k County funds in the total nearly 30k (which begs question of why none was transferred to the Fed account).

Rohlfing goes out as a bust. Even with the (canceled) LDD pre-sales, his final month is deeply in the RED. Right about now, Ostrov is fining out that the party is in worse shape than she thought. Rohlfing bought expensive Liability Insurance (which Smart had canceled) a month late – Ryan’s lawsuit is a not covered ‘pre-existing condition’.

Waiting to see Ostrov budget, whether to do LDD or return donors’ $, how she’ll cover Rohlfing/James losses, and most important, if she begins to message and build a victory fund. You’d think she’d have a budget, you know, the budget delegates should have asked to see before voting.

Mortgage account evaporating as now in addition to 1,476 mortgage, HQ pays building maintenance and utilities = 2880 this month. Mortgage due is reduced by only $1k to 66.5k, which becomes $100k+ as HQ uses the building fund for other expenses, plus any maintenance which may rise.

29. out of 100. House R ACU 2016 average. Maui Dem is Hawaii most conservative. McDermott & Tupola score in mid-30s, Ward is lowest at 24.

50. Months since Hellreich wrote “use massive voter registration drives to Increase our chances of winning.” 26 since she said “We need voter registration drives.” No HRP voter reg drive in six years.

54. Months since the ’12 required HRP financial audit was to be conducted. Donors don’t give when finances are in question.

523. Days (as of June 1) to the 2018 General election.

2,500. each. Djou, Aiona paid HQ for (nonexistent) LDD using funds you donated to their campaigns.

HIRA’s exposure of Saiki and R/H/W corruption shows that HRP needs cleansing. Fearful R legislators are as culpable as the State Cmte is incompetent.

State Convention. You may favor a candidate but neither candidate is good for HRP. Clear enough?

Embarrassing Tupola on the morning news, HNN reports that the State convention is to replace Fukumoto-chang. Apparently, no one, media included, has heard from Tupola or knows that she already replaced Fukumoto-chang as the R House micro-leader.

HIRA: Immediate Fallout From State Convention “Sinking enthusiasm among Hawaii Republican Party members resulted in only 359 out of 2,000 eligible delegates and alternates — just 18% — showing up at today’s state convention.” HQ says they’re happy with only 359. Four districts, three on Oahu, sent zero.

Smart‘s depression is contagious with her bleak status of HRP finances – your party is broke. Smart’s report is vague and her numbers don’t add up. She (her report) was booed. Smart, too, is culpable in our financial status. It is good she moved on.

Keynote speaker Djou (Huh?) has been quiet and doesn’t hint at a new and upcoming party. McDermott, having announced his bid for Governor the day prior, was not recognized or given any speaking role. Didn’t see Aiona, if he attended, nor Lingle.

Rohlfing told speakers to stall (Blundering Yoder accidentally blurted it during his speech) so as to have as little time as possible at the end of the day to address the platform and rules changes.

Two reports ago we mentioned that these folks had no experience hosting a big event. Hickling, Yoder, especially Music Man James proved it – they ran out of food at breakfast, then ran out again at lunch. Agenda was slightly ahead of schedule … until the hotel had to cook more food. And, this after insisting folks commit and pay early so they could lock down a headcount.

Ostrov trounced Tupola 289-111. In spite of the cheating by Rohlfing and James et al. Don’t know what’s worse – that delegates recognized Tupola hasn’t done a thing as micro-leader (even her micro members deserted her) or that she claims to be a campaign expert and lost 2-1.

Levity. A first-time state convention goer from the Big Island found herself listed as a “green” Ostrov supporter. She balked, saying she never said who she supports, she simply accepted free air travel compliments of Ostrov campaign.

Kulbis’ team had a good day. Exposing the delegates to sample door hangers, passing a resolution to urge HQ to begin holding Ds accountable, distributing county platform flyers, unveiling the new County t-shirts, counseling a weak Kauai county chair Yoder on how to do his job.

Ostrov still has NOT addressed her Stolen Valor. During her under funded, under-manned congressional try, Saiki wrote that Ostrov’s Bronze Star was for valor in combat. Perhaps unimportant to civilian Saiki, the rest of us including Ostrov know this is a breach of honor and integrity.

Wait two weeks, says Rohlfing, in response to a question of whether Convention broke even. Seriously? You know how much has and will come in. You know how much everything costs. Inexcusable to NOT know the financial status.

Embracing irrelevance. No media: SA, CB, nor TV bothered.

No organization does more to destroy the Republican brand than the Hawaii Republican Party. A pro-life national Platform; HRP elects pro-abortion Saiki. A record-setting RNC fundraising cycle; Rohlfing owns the four lowest raising months of the last decade. Holding the majority in the US House & the Senate; HRP has 0/25 senators and 5/51 reps. RNC fights tax increases; micro-caucus supports tax increases. SA Borreca declares HRP “microscopic”, “irrelevant”. Milner writes “Death is not too strong a word to use.” Republican Party is Dead

Ostrov = Rohlfing

Don’t expect any more from this set of officers, than the last. First vice 86 years old, second vice 76, gives more of the same ole same ole, while confirming that Ostrov is under control of Saiki and Hellreich.

Ostrov sends “We ask for your patience as the next few weeks will be characterized by a flurry of activity as my team focuses on the transition of key issues for our party“. She’ll understand having before taken command of units: there is no patience. You are the chair. You are responsible. Six months into the cycle, you said you and your team were ready. A month into term and we’ve seen no messaging, nor fundraising.

Don’t need to wait to know Ostrov’s character. Personnel is policy. Her team, led by a liberal Hellreich and union-builder/abortion Barbie Saiki, tells us her character.

Saiki (ACU 50%) CB “Her political work began with her successful drive to create the first teachers’ union for Hawaii’s public school teachers.” “Saiki successfully urged the [HGEA] to create a new teachers chapter, which she led.” “Saiki told teachers to embrace the national unions.” “Saiki’s decision to become a Republican seems surprising.” “She supported abortion rights.”

They told us they were ready. They lied. “Be patient.” “Give us time.” You’ve heard nothing from HQ since Ostrov and her team took over. HIRA: Ostrov Silent As A Mouse (scroll down).

Ostrov’s SA interview highlights our disappointment. Claiming conservatism and new ideas, she touts Abortion Barbie Saiki as her “wise” mentor. Here is something only another (failed) math major knows: Studying to be a mathematician, Ostrov says the ’80’s led her to instead pursue political science. Ha. I was also a wannabe mathematician, until third level of differential equations convinced me otherwise (no soft political science at West Point back in the day, we are hard science engineers).

Ostrov has yet to present a budget for State Cmte approval and present a plan, still zero policy, nor organizational, statements. Nothing from communications, candidate recruitment, coalitions, fundraising.

First success, says Ostrov, is hiring a lawyer (in addition to party Counsel). Perhaps she expects more lawsuits than she does candidates running for office.

Much to do about, well, we don’t know. Ostrov touts her trip to DC to “put Hawaii on the map”. Besides many selfies, we’d like to hear she accomplished something. Her Memorial Day email said she told RNC and WH people how great Hawaii GOP will be. Duh. No RNC $25k to help until Blackburn brings in the big bucks he promised, and allow her to begin a grassroots messaging campaign? No funded political director, preferably a good one with experience (i.e. from the mainland) to help HRP do politics for a change? To paraphrase Fiorina on Clinton “Flying to DC is not an accomplishment.”

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The Rationale for “Everything Political”

Writing to conservatives & Republicans, mostly in Hawaii, these reports chronicle HRP’s story with enormous amounts data and solutions. My perspective is that of conservative, Republican, former State Party Chairman & RNC member now working with local and national conservative organizations. These reports augment what you should hear from HRP, what is not on your radar, or what you need to research. Ask your party leaders to act, or continue to lose. We won't always agree but we should be informed. Hawaii conservatives should know they are not alone.